Resource Management Program

The Division of Parks and Recreation is responsible for the protection of the natural and cultural resources within the state parks system. This responsibility pervades all of the division's activities, from field operations and interpretive programing to planning and construction of park facilities. The protection of these resources is mandated by the North Carolina Constitution and the State Parks Act, which require that all parks be managed in perpetuity.

The ecosystems protected by the state parks system often represent the highest quality examples of the state's natural landscape. In many cases, these ecosystems are also among the most threatened. The primary goal of natural resource management is to minimize human impacts on the natural environment and to ensure the long-term protection of state parks as intact, naturally evolving ecosystems. The primary goal of cultural resource management is to protect and preserve historically significant features.

The division's Resource Management Program provides field staff, planning staff and construction staff with technical expertise on issues such as resource stewardship, scientific research, environmental review and compliance, and landscape planning.

Click here to download the 2001 Resource Management Highlights as a pdf document.